1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an infrared thermometer that measures a body temperature using an infrared sensor.
2. Description of the Related Art
A thermometer that measures a body temperature using an infrared sensor is very effective for the measurement of a body temperature of a colicy, sleeping or squirming baby, infant or the like because the thermometer can measure a body temperature quickly.
The infrared sensor measures the amount of infrared radiation from an object to be measured such as a skin in a human body to detect a temperature of the object (that is, a body temperature). Since an infrared ray attenuates in inverse proportion to the square of distance, it is required to measure the distance between the infrared sensor and the object precisely, or measure the amount of infrared radiation while keeping the distance between the infrared sensor and the object constant.
Conventionally, since a measurer performs the setting or measurement of the distance between an infrared sensor and an object to be measured with his/her skill such as “setting it to several inches” or “setting it to a mark of light”, it depends extensively on the measurer's skill (e.g., Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 2005-342376).
As described above, conventionally, since a measurer performs the setting or measurement of the distance between an infrared sensor and an object to be measured with his/her skill such as “setting it to several inches” or “setting it to a mark of light”, an error on the distance between the infrared sensor and the object often occurs. So, it is difficult to measure a body temperature precisely.